Message from vngo

[Anonymous]

Besides the cinematographic and historical value, I think the movie also showed another aspect of Chinese relation with the West during the time of the Sino-Japanese War. Before showing the movie, I would front-load for the student or at least discuss about how China was already open to the West during that time. In the movie, most of the actions took place inside a Catholic church showed that the presence of Christianity in China was well-established even though it did not flourish. Moreover, the Catholic church setting also gave us a unique perspective about the international relation between Japan and other world powers in China. In the movie, the Japanese soldiers were deferential, or at least paid their respect to this Western institution when Miller reminded them of where they were at. It's a complex issue--one in which the movie did not plan to elaborate--that should at least be mentioned to consolidate students' understanding of the historical context of the movie.